Storkbox offers help for expectant mothers

A new company is hoping to take at least one stress from new parents, offering prepacked maternity bags and boxes that cover the essentials for mothers and babies.

Storkbox is the brainchild of sisters Dr Vicki O'Dwyer, a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology, and sponsorship and marketing consultant Sophie Cafolla. The maternity box contains two products, the mum bag and the baby bag, which both include all the essentials for the first few days in hospital.

The company conducted some research before launch, and found 70 per cent of mothers found preparing their hospital bags daunting, time-consuming or stressful. Some 83 per cent didn’t make a start on their hospital bags until at least 32 weeks pregnant.

The hospital bag was one of a couple of ideas for a business the duo had been considering.

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“I was sick of thinking of the idea and how it would work – I needed to make this happen,” said Ms Cafolla, who is managing director of the firm. “That was in January. We’ve come a long way in a few months.”

Checklist

Dr O’Dwyer also found it was a frequent topic of conversation among expectant mothers. Each hospital has its own checklist of what mothers should bring to hospital, and while some items occur time and time again, each hospital’s list differs.

“I was really surprised there was nowhere you could get everything together in Ireland,” said Ms Cafolla. “You don’t know what you should get. That’s where the idea came from.”

Among the products contained in the bag are personal care items for mothers, breast pads and milk storage bags, and a gift voucher for Just Eat.

The baby bag includes some gender neutral baby clothes from Ms Cafolla’s own Mini Style Addict range, nappies and other essentials. Both bags are also laundry bags. The maternity bag will have a retail price of €65, but will contain products worth €80; a luxury version retails for €100.

Ms Cafolla said the company was also supplying gift boxes: a newborn box, the Night Night Stork Box for the bath, bottle, bed routine, and the Playtime Stork Box.

The company is also looking at a line of milestone boxes that would mark specific points in a baby’s life.